Acts 18 - If You Want to Make God Laugh, Tell Him Your Plans!

Acts 18

Enduring Word Commentary

In Corinth

18 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla were all tentmakers. Through the years this has been used as a term that meant someone in ministry who still worked a regular job to support themselves. I.e. They weren't paid by the church. Many missionaries today basically do the same, and rely on churches to support them. Paul continued his regular pattern of preaching in the synagogue and trying to persuade people (both Jews and Gentile Jewish converts) to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. 

5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Though Paul clearly had a huge heart for the Jewish people, when they continually rejected him and began to heap abuse on him, he had enough. Paul told them he was done with them and any consequences they received as a result of rejecting God's only Son was on them. With this declaration Paul had now decided to go and reach the Gentiles. This is why he was called an apostle to the Gentiles. 

7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

It wasn't as though Paul's ministry in Corinth was fruitless, as we various Corinthians and their households coming to faith. When they came to faith they were baptized. Baptized always accompanied belief. Baptism was an outward sign of being marked with the cross of Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit forever. Again it says "entire households" believed in the Lord. Part of the sign of any revival is when whole households come to faith. 

Unfortunately faith has divided many homes. Or, kids grew in Christian homes but only saw hypocrisy in the church, and maybe even their parents. This led them away from the faith. Some came back. Some did not. But God's original intention was for faith to be learned in the home, with parents being the "primary faith mentors" for their children. 

Martin Luther picked this up as one of the key aspects of the Protestant Reformation. The bible had been taken from the pews and discipleship had been taken from the parents.  

9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

Though Paul was ready to move on from Corinth due to the treatment he received there, God had other plans. "If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans". Importantly God was with Paul and had many others that he was going to call. Paul was obedient to the vision from the Lord and stayed there another year and a half. The result was the church of Corinth was one of the most influential churches in the New Testament. 

12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”

Once again it was his own people, the Jews, who attacked him. They brought Paul before Gallio hoping to win over his support. But they only thing they could come up with was that Paul was leading people to worship incorrectly. I'm sure this didn't get much of Gallio's attention nor concern. 

14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” 16 So he drove them off. 17 Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.

Gallio, as just mentioned, had little time for such nonsense so he dismissed everyone. He said something very insightful, "Since it involves questions about words and names and your own law".  

So many times the church "majors in the minors". We get caught up in technicalities and every jot and tittle of the law, while neglecting the more important things. To the people of this world this too is a waste of time. People don't want to get involved in any organization that is always bickering and fighting. When churches are arguing and having inner battles between different cliques, we know Satan is laughing his head off. 

Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos

18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

Paul rejoined Priscilla and Aquilla, his fellow tentmakers, and sailed back across to the sea and arrived at Ephesus, the other major church in the 1st century. Paul once again reasoned in the synagogues. Paul was constantly trying to prove to the Jews how Jesus was their Messiah, and how the promises made to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob were all fulfilled in him. Though they wanted him to stay, Paul knew he had other places to go and bring the gospel. 

Paul went back to Jerusalem probably to share the news of his journeys with his church and possibly get some resources to continue his travels. Paul went back through the churches in Asia Minor he had planted and strengthened the disciples. Paul knew that just because someone came to faith, it didn't mean the work of God stopped there. It was only just beginning. 

Many people come to faith in Jesus and then are never discipled. I was talking to a friend of mine, who I thought was a Christian, who was basically saying, "All roads lead to God." They did not believe that salvation came through Jesus alone, though they had grown up in the church and were still going to church. Why? 

Because we live in a society that does not believe in absolute truth. For me to say Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him is fighting words in our culture. How dare I assume that Christian are the only ones with the truth. But the problem is if all religions lead to God, then why did Jesus have to die on the cross. 

The word the world does not want to talk about his "sin". It is offensive to suggest to someone they are sinner. And, in the church we are often soft on sin and don't call people to repent from it. We don't call people to repent from anything but if they come to our church it is good enough. 

24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor[a] and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

Sometimes people have great knowledge of God and the bible yet had not been baptized with the Holy Spirit. We will see Paul encounter this in the next chapter as well. It says Priscilla and Aquila explained the way of god more adequately to them. What does that mean?

 

Aquila and Priscilla did something valuable for God’s kingdom. They helped someone who had a passion for God and at least some power in serving Him; yet he had limited knowledge and therefore limited resources for truly effective ministry. - Guzik

27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

When Apollos went to the region of Achaia, it probably means he went to the city of Corinth in the region of Achaia. From what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, he apparently had a remarkable ministry there. Apollos went to Corinth to water what Paul had planted. 

Apollos was Jewish, and is described as eloquent and fervent in spirit (Acts 18:24-25). He also vigorously refuted the Jews, and was able to demonstrate from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. Because of these things, some scholars consider him the type of person who could have written the letter to the Hebrews. - Guzik